Open Collections

Magrill, Haley

University of British Columbia

The spread of misinformation on social media presents a serious threat to the security of democracies around the world. Social media offers a particularly fertile ground for the spread of false information because machine learning algorithms are programmed to increase user engagement by recommending material that is sensational and polarizing—which misinformation often is. Previous research has proposed voluntary actions that social media companies could take to reduce the spread of harmful misinformation on their platforms. However, platforms have been reluctant to adopt new measures that might consequently reduce user engagement and, as a result, profitability. The lack of self-regulation has caused policymakers to intervene with new legislation aimed at controlling the spread of misinformation. At the same time, such efforts are constrained by protections for free speech and the political opposition, both of which shape how responses to the problem of social media misinformation are developed. This thesis examines legal constraints, political challenges, and legislative responses that have emerged in Germany, France, the U.K., the U.S., and Australia. This author finds that in countries like Germany and France, where freedom of expression is already restricted to protect democratic norms, governments pass legislation requiring the removal of illegal false information from social media platforms. By contrast, in countries like the U.K., the U.S., and Australia, where false claims remain a legally protected form of speech in the offline world, responses are focused more on behavioural regulation, whereby governments force platforms to address their products’ potential to cause harm, rather than directly policing user-generated speech. The legal structures in Canada are most reflective of the U.K., the U.S., and Australia. Drawing on the legislative experiences of similar countries, the final section includes recommendations for Canadian policymakers as they join the fight against the spread of misinformation.

Text

2023-12-01

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86729

Political Science

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/